Bayard Rustin, the March on Washington and LGBT Community

Bayard Rustin, the March on Washington and LGBT Community

Bayard Rustin played a seminal role in the American Civil Rights Movement. In 1947, he helped plan the Freedom Rides, a tour of cities in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky designed to challenge racial segregration. Among a number of challenges in the early 1960s, he withstood violent attacks and jail time for his acts of civil disobedience. In 1963, he served as one of the chief organizers of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

As a gay black man during a homophobic era, his contributions and other participants from the LGBT community have been largely ignored. In the face of adversity, what did Rustin and other LBGT activists, in particular, achieve? On Monday, Aug. 5 beginning at 6 p.m., National Black Justice Coalition founder Mandy Carter presents a thought-provoking lecture about Rustin and other LGBT individuals who dedicated their lives to fighting injustice.